Bullet
by NikkieeRavine
Summary: After I read AF:#5 I kinda thought, "What would happen if Artemis went out without Butler to clear his head?  This is what I thought of.  Enjoy!


_**Bullet**_

Artemis Fowl The Second was in a sort of haze of giddiness and concern. After learning three years had gone by, he was presumed dead and his parents had given birth to twins, he was still in shock. He shook his head and got up from the chair he had fallen into earlier.

"I'm going for a walk, Butler" he said."I wish for you not to follow me. I will be back soon."Butler stood up.

"I cannot allow you to wander off without protection." He walked over to the Irish youth."You may have been gone for three years, and even presumed dead, but that doesn't mean people are still after you." Artemis nodded and looked around.

"You're right, of course, Butler" Artemis sighed. "I do need some form of protection." He walked over to the counter and picked up a Neutrino Butler had gotten from the fairies a few years before. He held it up towards the roof and smiled. "This will do, won't it?"

In spite of himself, Butler smiled. 'Artemis has matured greatly over the past few years. He's even become more sociable and friendly.' then, remembering the question at hand, the smile quickly disappeared.

"I don't think you should be out by yourself," he said soberly.

Now it was Artemis's turn to frown. "I promise to stay alert. I just need some fresh air and time to think." He looked the manservent in the eyes. "Please, Butler."

Butler closed his eyes. "I suppose it couldn't do that much harm. But you can only be out for an hour. One second longer and I will come looking for you. Take this." He pulled a watch with a red blinking light at the end. "This is a tracking device. It will only allow you to go a half-mile before it goes off. It also has a built-in pulse reader, so I know if you're in danger or try to take it off."

Artemis put the gadget on to show Butler there was no need to worry. "I'll be back soon. I just have to clear my head." He smiled and walked out the door. Butler made an instinctive move to catch up, but caught himself half way. Somehow he knew he was going to regret this later.

The cool dusk wind blew across Artemis's brow. He closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath. Night air had a way of calming anyone down. He wandered around aimlessly for a few seconds in an open market until something caught his attention. It was a solitary tree on the edge of a hill. He checked his watch. He still had 53 minutes left.

He walked over to the tree. It had a thick trunk and some of the roots twisted into a makeshift seat at the base. He slid down the tree until her was comfortable and rubbed his temples.

'How could I have made such a mistake?' he scolded himself. 'Three years I've missed! The birth of my twin siblings. Their first...everything. I wish I could redo this. Then maybe I could have come back to the correct time.' He sighed. Then something caught his attention. A sharp crack from behind.

He jumped up and placed a hand on the gun. Through the shadows came a tall, burly man with a dark patch of hair and dark sunglasses.

"Fowl, correct?" He asked. Artemis tensed.

"That depends on who is asking." He said cooly.

"That is a 'yes'" said the man. In one quick moved he pulled out his gun and shot Artemis in the stomach. He made a small smile and walked away. Artemis let out a choked grunt and fell to the ground. Desperate to keep his consciousness, he brought his hand up to his face and twisted the ring around with his teeth. The phone automatically dialed Holly's number.

Butler was already regretting letting Artemis leave. The boy had gone to meditate! Meditation was known to greatly slow the heart rate and Butler was was under orders to leave Artemis alone unless he was in actual danger.

"Dammit!" swore Butler. "I knew I shouldn't have let him go." The internal fight in his mind had made him decide to wait and see if anything changes. Until then, he still had a few chapters left in the book he was reading...

Holly had dozed off in front of her TV when her phone vibrated gently. She jumped up out of her chair and posed ready to fight. The phone vibrate again. She blushed and picked up the phone. Very few knew this number, so she stayed professional.

"Holly Short" she said. She was greeted by rough breathing. "Hello?" she tried again.

"H-Holly... It's Arte-mis" came a raspy voice. It sounded like him, but he was known for tricks.

"What is it, Artemis? I don't have time for foolishness." Artemis was stung by the comment, but quickly brushed it off.

"I... need help. I've been shot...in the...stomach. Please. Help me..." his voice shook off into silence. Dread crept up her spine and tugged at her heart. She knew he was telling the truth.

"I'll be right there" she promised. No response.

Butler gave up the fight to read his book and bolted out the door. Artemis's pulse had slowed greatly but he was moving. Butler had come to the easiest logic: He's been kidnapped! Butler muttered several punishable words to himself as he climbed into his car.

Truth was, the tracking device had been shot off by the burly man. He bullet was aimed at Artemis's heart but he shot the watch by accident and the bullet ricochet into Artemis's stomach. The tracking device latched itself into the fur of a stray cat. So while Butler knew Artemis's pulse, he was following a small kitten.

Holly was flying over Dublin, trying to pinpoint Artemis's exact location. The beeping grew rapid and she dived down at rocket speed. She spotted him under a large oak tree. He looked paler than usual, almost paper- white. She let out a small gasp when she saw him clearly. He was barley conscious and was breathing as shallowly as possible.

She stood directly over him and realized why he was scarcely breathing. Every time he let out a breath, fresh blood covered his front. Holly fought back tears and looked at Artemis's face. He was smiling. She dropped to her knees and squeezed his hand in reassurance. He tried to squeeze back, but he was too weak.

She let go of his hand and placed both of hers over his stomach. She had refilled her magic just before finding Artemis, hoping it wouldn't be a repeat of Butler's gunshot wound.

"Heal" she breathed. Then, as sparks flew over his body, a thought occurred to Holly. 'Where is Butler?' The bullet flew into one of Holly's hands and she quickly tossed it aside. He began coughing and more blood covered him. Holly pressed her magic harder. "You're going to be okay." She said, hoping it was true herself. He closed his eyes and tears began to stream down Holly's cheeks. "I am NOT losing you!"

Butler traced the tracking device to a fish shop. "Odd" he said. "Why would the bring him to such a public area?" He opened the car door and followed the beeping. He neared a bush by the door and the beeping went crazy. He pulled out his gun and turned the corner. The only thing there was a small gray kitten with giant yellow eyes. He swore loudly and ran back to his car. He pulled out a cell phone and dialed Holly's number.

The hole in Artemis's stomach took several seconds, but finally closed. Holly sighed and leaned against the tree. Again, he rphone went off. She pulled it out of he rbelt and pushed TALK.

"Holly Short" she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Hi, Holly. Have you seen Artemis?" he asked.

"Yeah. He's with me. But he's gonna tell you what happened. See you back at your house."

"Okay. Bye, Holly" he said.

"Bye." She replied. Fresh tears fell as she hung the phone back on her belt. One fell on Artemis's cheek and he opened his eyes. Seeing Holly in tears over him made him feel guilty. He reached out and grabbed her hand. She looked at him and smiled. He smiled back.

"Thank you, Holly." He whispered. And even though he felt fine, he closed his eyes again.

"You're welcome." she whispered back, but he had already fallen asleep. She brushed the hair from his forehead and kissed it. He woke up slightly and looked at her with peaceful eyes.

"Will I ever stop owing you?" He asked.

"Maybe." She replied. "But it's okay. I like saving you." She leaned over and kissed him again. He was surprised by having a real kiss, but quickly recovered and kissed her back.

"Okay" said Butler. "What happened?"

Artemis took a long gulp of water. "Nothing, really. I simply got shot in the stomach by some imbecile hit-man." He shrugged. Butler nearly fainted.

"You are never going out by yourself ever again!" Shouted the frantic manservant. "I called your parents and told them you were home! How would I have explained that you died your first day back?"

Artemis smiled, stood up, and walked up to Butler.

"Don't worry, old friend. Holly has my back whenever no one else does." He turned to Holly. She smiled.

"It's true. I have his. He has mine. I even have yours" she chirped. Butler sighed.

"Well, what are we going to do about your hit-man?" asked Butler.

Artemis smiled and laced his fingers behind his head.

"That, old friend, is a job for tomorrow."

**The End**


End file.
